India has officially acknowledged for the first time that it lost fighter jets during the recent four-day military confrontation with Pakistan, although the exact number remains undisclosed.

The statement came from Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan during an interview with Bloomberg TV at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. His comments represent the most direct confirmation yet from the Indian military about aerial losses.

“What’s important is not how many jets were downed, but why they were downed,” Chauhan emphasized when questioned about the incident. He dismissed Pakistan’s claim of downing six Indian jets, including four Rafale aircraft, as “absolutely incorrect” but declined to provide any figures.

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“Understanding the reasons and the mistakes made is more critical than focusing on numbers,” Chauhan said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan Air Force had shot down six Indian fighter jets during the initial night of the conflict, between May 6 and 7, including four French-made Rafales. He made the statement during an event in Lachin, Azerbaijan, commemorating the country’s Independence Day.